A Dose of Sunshine

My precious Grandmother used to tell me that a day without me was like a day without sunshine. (yep, she was pretty awesome!) Her frame was small but her heart was huge. She fiercely loved her family and friends – a fact I realized at a very young age while having a sleep over at her house. We laid in bed giggling about silly things and enjoying being together. Then the room quieted for a minute and she said, “Sugar, it’s time for us to pray for the family God has blessed us with.” I gladly agreed expecting the usual, “God bless our family” kind of prayer. This was not that prayer.
My sweet Grandmother, Grace, proceeded to pray the longest prayer I had ever heard as she prayed for each family member by name. And while I am an only child, I come from a very large extended family. She prayed for each and every one of us by name, asking God to do something specific in each of our lives. I remember the feeling of warmth that flooded my heart when she got to me. I hung on every word as she talked to the Creator of the universe about me. It almost seemed as though I was intruding on a private conversation between her and the Lord. She continued to pray long after my eyes closed and sleep claimed my little body.
I know for a fact that she continued that practice until her own eyes were closed on this earth and Heaven claimed her sweet soul. She was precious and beautiful and I still miss her everyday, but I rejoice in knowing that she is with the God she loved so very much, and can now talk to Him face to face. I also take great comfort from knowing that the prayers she prayed throughout her life are still bearing fruit even today.

Now that I’ve made myself cry! I’ll get to the point of this post: In addition to her mighty faith and earth moving prayers, my Grandmother loved to laugh. The things that most often brought a giggle from her lips involved things her grandkids or great-grandkids did or said. She would tell me that the little ones were her daily dose of sunshine. I have loved recording my own kid’s funny or sweet sayings in my journal or on facebook, and I would love to have a space on this blog to record both mine and your children’s sunshine moments too.
So often our kids help us SEE ourselves, God, or a life truth in a whole new way by something they say or do. I would love to record the funny, the sweet, and the ironic moments that help us see the joy of our Savior. Don’t you know how God must laugh and take such delight in His little ones (and big ones).
I would love to hear the kid stories that have warmed your heart and provided you with sunshine on a dark day. You could write an amusing or touching story in the comments on this post or email me directly at [email protected]
Every Friday I will have a “Dose of Sunshine” post. We can all be encouraged, or share a laugh, as we read the amusing and sweet antics of God’s littlest lambs.
I will choose one story to post each week and will let you know the week your story will be posted. Feel free to include a picture if you would like, but you certainly don’t have to. I can’t wait to read about your kiddos!
Here is a Dose of Sunshine for today:
When my son was about 3, we were reading the story of Jonah and the whale. He listened attentively throughout the story. When the story was over, I noticed that he had a very concerned look on his face. I asked him what was wrong. He looked at me right in the eyes and said, “Andrew go time-out in whale too??? No time-out in whale!” I smiled, amazed at his understanding of that story, “No sweetie, you will not have to have a time-out in a whale. That was just for Jonah.” But oh what a time-out that was!!!
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